Afscheid van de aartsengel Rafaël c. 1548

Curator: This engraving, executed around 1548 by Dirck Volckertsz Coornhert, is entitled *Afscheid van de aartsengel Rafaël*, or "The Departure of the Archangel Raphael." It depicts a scene from the Book of Tobit, rendered with striking detail. Editor: The figures, especially, they look monumental, even though this print must be relatively small. There’s a weightiness, an emotional gravity that immediately draws you in. Curator: Yes, Coornhert masterfully uses line work to convey depth and texture. Notice how the dense cross-hatching creates shadows that sculpt the forms of Tobit and his family as they witness the angel's ascension. Consider the symbolic resonance, here; angels frequently represent divine intervention, bridging the mortal and celestial realms. Their departures are bittersweet acknowledgments of humanity's limited capacity to contain divine grace. Editor: Absolutely. The cultural context here is so rich, isn't it? We're seeing this scene in the midst of the Northern Renaissance, when religious themes were increasingly interpreted through a humanist lens. How would this scene have resonated with a 16th-century audience grappling with shifting theological interpretations and social upheaval? The figures' expressions certainly telegraph this uncertainty. Curator: Indeed. Raphael's form, almost dissolving into light, emphasizes his transcendence and reflects ideas about immateriality that shaped Renaissance Christian thought. The architectural setting – that crumbling wall behind Tobias' mother – frames a narrative concerned with both the spiritual and the temporal, reflecting a society questioning rigid doctrines. It invites us to contemplate our own relationships with faith and authority. Editor: What strikes me, in light of today’s conversations, is how power is represented through imagery like this. It shows a community on its knees, subject to divine authority, but the artistry itself hints at emerging questions around religious and social control, right? Coornhert, with his skills as a draftsman and engraver, creates something visually arresting, sure, but its potency emerges from its nuanced portrayal of historical tensions. Curator: I agree; Coornhert's work isn't merely illustrative; it is deeply introspective. Its strength comes from depicting not just the biblical scene, but also the human drama inherent in faith and change. Editor: Yes, a piece that shows us how a historical moment and artistic rendering intertwine and still speak to us, centuries later, about faith and change.